Stupid American

Let's just go ahead and start the list:

1. My Madre does not want dirt tracked into her house and does not want us walking in her house barefoot. She gives me house slippers to wear at all times. I accidentally wear them out in public...she no longer allows me to wear them inside the house, so she had to go out and buy me new ones. Cool. I already feel dumb. Let's make it worse. It rained today. I come home wet. Hair wet. Clothes wet. Feet wet. So? I take my shoes off. I walk into the house barefoot, and I go to the living room to finish watching the game (P.s. Chile v. Spain - Spain WON 2-1). She instantly gives me a "what-about-wear-your-house-slippers-do-you-not-get?" look. Crap.

2. I guess our customs are just really different than theirs'. I get home from school and place my backpack on my bed. I sit down to do something on my computer. She walks in to ask "?Qué tal?" She sees my backpack on the bed, grabs it, and then very politely explains to me that, no, bookbags do not belong on beds. Crap. Crap.

3. The first day I was here, my Madre asked me before I went to bed what time I wanted to wake up. We agreed on a time, and the next morning she woke me up. The next day came, and we did the same. She asked me what time I wanted to wake up, and the next morning she woke me up. Apparently, two days of a routine does not mean that the third day will go the same. Yesterday, my Madre asked me when I wanted to be woken up. I replied with an answer. This morning rolls around....and no Madre. I woke up - God only knows how - to look at my watch that reads 15 minutes til class starts. My walk to school is 17 minutes long...Crap. Crap. Crap!
Now, I was feeling pretty badly for my Madre, because I could only imagine how bad she was going to feel when she realized she had forgotten to wake me up this morning..the key word in that sentence is "was." I get back, expecting an apology (I had prepared all morning my response to her apology so I was grammatically correct.) but no. All I get was "María, what happened this morning?" (In spanish.) At lunch, later in the day, my Padre asks the same thing. He just laughs. I am guessing they are thinking this was my fault???
All I know is that on Monday, I am setting my OWN alarm.

4. Gestures are different, too. The way you greet people is different. I know this. In Spain, it is customary to kiss on the cheek twice. Left first. Then Right. Today, (I guess today I was just off.) Fuen and I went to the store to buy food for the family. Just us girls, simple little walk, fun. We run into her very respectable looking cousin. Handsome. Successful. Spanish. She introduces me. And I guess the American in me just couldn't help but come out. I went to shake his hand :/ but he came in for the kiss (a greeting kiss not a romantic kiss). You could imagine this. He leaned in, I lifted my hand, he stared at my hand, I stared at his kissy face, he leaned back, I leaned in, he looks stares back. CRAP!

5. Like I said earlier, Fuen and I went to the grocery store. Everything in that place is different...no...OPPOSITE of the States. Finally, we finish getting all of our groceries with the exception of the fruit. We walk to the fruit. We look at the fruit. Everything is fine. We discuss the fruit. We are still fine. Fuen picks up a plastic glove and puts it on her hand. She explains to me that they are not supposed to touch the fruit with our bare hands because of germs. She then begins to feel, pick up, and put fruit into our basket with the gloved hand...I look at the fruit she is choosing. Man, does the fruit above these suckers look cool. I picked one up and smelled it. Oh. my. gosh. AMAZING!! The shape was so weird. It felt like a peach but looked like a UFO. I was in fruit bliss until....Fuen freaked out! ""MARÍA NOOOOOO!!!" Not fine anymore.
Remember that time she told me not to touch the fruit and then ten seconds later I did? Stupid American.